Melanoma, a highly malignant form of skin cancer, affects individuals of all genders and is associated with high mortality rates, especially in advanced stages. The use of tele-dermatology has emerged as a proficient diagnostic approach for skin lesions and is particularly beneficial in rural areas with limited access to dermatologists. However, accurately, and efficiently segmenting melanoma remains a challenging task due to the significant diversity observed in the morphology, pigmentation, and dimensions of cutaneous nevi. To address this challenge, we propose a novel approach called DenseUNet-169 with a dilated convolution encoder-decoder for automatic segmentation of RGB dermascopic images. By incorporating dilated convolution,

The effect of electrolysis operating parameters on the removal efficiency of cadmium from a simulated wastewater was studied by adopting response surface methodology combined with Box–Behnken Design. As a new electrode design, spiral-wound woven wire mesh rotating cylinder electrode was used for cadmium removal. Current (240–400 mA), rotation speed (200–1000 rpm), initial cadmium concentration (200–600ppm), and cathode mesh number (30–60) were chosen as independent variables while the removal efficiency of cadmium was considered as a response function. The results revealed that the rotation speed has the major effect on the removal efficiency of cadmium. Regression analysis showed good fit of the experimental data to the second-or

Concerns about the environment, the cost of energy, and safety mean that low-energy cold-mix asphalt materials are very interesting as a potential replacement for present-day hot mix asphalt. The main disadvantage of cold bituminous emulsion mixtures is their poor early life strength, meaning they require a long time to achieve mature strength. This research work aims to study the protentional utilization of waste and by-product materials as a filler in cold emulsion mixtures with mechanical properties comparable to those of traditional hot mix asphalt. Accordingly, cold mix asphalt was prepared to utilize paper sludge ash (PSA) and cement kiln dust (CKD) as a substitution for conventional mineral filler with percentages ranging fro

Background Osteoarthritis is a chronic degenerative disorder with rising prevalence. Early detection of structural damage is difficult. Consequently, there is a pressing demand for reliable biomarkers that enable an earlier diagnosis of osteoarthritis. The aim is to investigate the level of serum fibulin-3 in patients with primary knee osteoarthritis and its correlation with disease severity. Subjects and methods A case–control study was conducted at the Baqubah Teaching Hospital from November 2023 to January 2024. One hundred twenty persons participated in this study (eighty females with the diagnosis of knee osteoarthritis in its early and late stages, and forty age-matched, apparently healthy control. Serum fibulin-3, ESR, CRP, and cal

Rutting has a significant impact on the pavements' performance. Rutting depth is often used as a parameter to assess the quality of pavements. The Asphalt Institute (AI) design method prescribes a maximum allowable rutting depth of 13mm, whereas the AASHTO design method stipulates a critical serviceability index of 2.5 which is equivalent to an average rutting depth of 15mm. In this research, static and repeated compression tests were performed to evaluate the permanent strain based on (1) the relationship between mix properties (asphalt content and type), and (2) testing temperature. The results indicated that the accumulated plastic strain was higher during the repeated load test than that during the static load tests. Notably, temperatur

The Jeed Formation (Upper Maastrichtian to Lower Danian) in the Western Desert of Iraq is a new proposed mixed lithostratigraphic succession containing various rock types, including phosphatic, siliceous, calcareous, siliciclastic, and other mineralogical contents (carbonate flouraptite, quartz, calcite, dolomite, opal-CT, smectite, palygorskite, sepiolite, kaolinite, and locally zeolite). The current study presents a review compliant with ICS standards and a revised lithostratigraphic framework for the Jeed Formation, based on a synthesis of historical usage, stratigraphic evolution, and previous miscorrelations, along with contributions from new data from integrated lithological, mineralogical, and microfacies datasets. The format

Abstract: E2F6 is a member of the E2F family of transcription factors involved in regulation of a wide variety of genes through both activation and repression. E2F6 has been reported as overexpressed in breast cancers but whether or not this is important for tumor development is unclear. We first checked E2F6 expression in tumor cDNAs and the protein level in a range of breast cancer cell lines. RNA interference-mediated depletion was then used to assess the importance of E2F6 expression in cell lines with regard to cell cycle profile using fluorescence-activated cell sorting and a cell survival assay using (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT). The overexpression of E2F6 was confirmed in breast tumor cDNA samp